Villagers receive grants for reconstruction

The collection of money for hurricane relief is only one half the disaster recovery equation. The other is how that money is spent. Today, officials from NEMO, PAHO, The European Community and CDERA visited areas affected by Hurricane Iris and in two villages distributed storm assistance. In Seine Bight Dorothy Ramirez, an unemployed mother of six, whose house was completely destroyed, received a gift certificate for three thousand, six hundred dollars worth of building materials, while Martin Moriera was given a certificate good for seven hundred and twenty-four dollars in household items. Jeremy Collymore, co-ordinator of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency, told the government press office why this kind of aid is important.

Jeremy Collymore, Co-ordinator, CDERA

“We’re not providing homes, we’re providing materials for the homes and we are very happy to note that the community will be involved in making these materials homes. And I think that is the best value of this experience, the community participation. And we certainly look forward to sometime before the next hurricane season, probably around March, to visit this area again and to see those homes that have been built using these materials and the support of these organisations.”

In San Pedro Colombia, similar grants were presented to Juana Cardinez, an eighty-seven year old widow and sixty-one year old Concepciona Shol.